Wayland's 'Grand Evening' ends in style

Published 1:00 pm, Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Wayland's new Steinway and Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano was the star of the show at Saturday night's Grand Evening.

Wayland's new Steinway and Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano was the star of the show at Saturday night's Grand Evening.

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Gloria Inman

Gloria Inman

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Wanda Withers

Wanda Withers

Wayland's 'Grand Evening' ends in style

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It was a night for stories.

While the most celebrated story may have been the appearance of the new Steinway and Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano on the stage at Harral Memorial Auditorium, it was not the most compelling.

"A Grand Evening" was held Saturday, hosted by the Wayland Baptist University School of Music, in celebration of its new Steinway concert piano. The audience cheered when the new piano made its appearance on stage and Leah Kay Lyle Gabriel christened the instrument with her solo performance.

While it was a wonderful experience, the most moving points in the evening came with the stories of two women, Gloria Inman and Wanda Withers. Inman attended Wayland during its junior college years in 1943-44. While at Wayland she was involved in many aspects of student life, including music. Upon graduation, she met her husband, Harold Inman, who was an engineering student at Texas Tech.

The two fell in love and married then traveled the world with Harold's job with Mobile Oil. The Inmans never had children and spent their lives together, finally retiring to Ruidoso, N.M., in 2000. Upon Gloria's untimely death last April, Harold decided to do something in her memory, involving her first true love - Wayland Baptist University.

Harold donated a large sum of money in his wife's memory, completing the $155,000 fundraising goal and establishing the Gloria Inman Steinway Endowment that will be used by the School of Music to offset the maintenance costs for the new Steinway concert piano and assist in the school's ultimate goal of becoming an all-Steinway school.

"Her legacy will be part of our legacy," said Dr. Ann Stutes, dean of the School of Music, to a round of applause.

The other woman who stole the show Saturday night was Withers, whose heart for music and love of students made a profound impression on Wayland's Steinway representative Brian Elmore. Withers grew up in Floydada, attended Wayland in the early 1940s, spent her life working in a bank and returned to her home when she retired. Now living in an assisted living facility in Lockney, Withers was touched when she heard about the fundraising effort to purchase a new grand piano. She sent her initial gift in June, a $10 cashier's check with a note saying she hoped this small gift could be used to help purchase the new Steinway. Upon receiving the check, Stutes knew this person would have a unique story to tell. For someone in an assisted living facility on a low, fixed income, $10 a month was a huge sacrifice. Withers increased the gift to $15 in July and August, and a few days prior to Saturday's concert, the School of Music received her $15 gift for September.

Having heard about Withers, Elmore, whose was coming in for the piano concert, made the trip to Lockney earlier Saturday to visit Withers.

"I found a woman who was just beautiful," Elmore said.

Elmore said he asked her why she was giving to the project. She said, "Because I want those kids to play on Steinways. They deserve it."

"Her gift of $15 is a tremendous sacrifice," Elmore said. "She saw the need and she gave sacrificially. I could feel God smile."

The new Steinway will be officially dedicated Oct. 25 when Dr. Richard Fountain gives his fall faculty recital.